punaise

See also: punaisé

French

punaise (1)

punaises (3)

Etymology

From the feminine of punais (“having a foul odor”), from Vulgar Latin *pūtināsius, from Latin puteō + nāsus, based on nāriputēns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /py.nɛz/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛz

Noun

punaise f (plural punaises)

1. (entomology) bug, stinkbug; true bug (a member of order Heteroptera)
2. bedbug
3. tack, thumbtack, drawing pin
4. (colloquial, derogatory) a worthless woman (a term of abuse)

Derived terms

• punaisien (rare)
• punaiser
• punaise de lit
• punaise de sacristie
• punaise des lits

Descendants

• → English: punese
• → Ottoman Turkish: پونز (pünez)
  • Turkish: pünez
• → Persian: پونز (punez)
• →⇒ Polish: pinezka
• → Romanian: piuneză

Verb

punaise

1. inflection of punaiser:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Interjection

punaise

1. (colloquial) Euphemistic form of putain; darn, shoot, shucks

Further reading

• “punaise”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.